Students express disapproval of graduation speaker Bush's policies

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

BY DAVID JACKSON

The Dallas Morning News

WASHINGTON - (KRT) - Plans for President Bush to deliver the commencement speech Saturday at a Christian college in Michigan seemed to be a perfect match of politician and constituency - religious conservatives who helped re-elect the president.

Yet the event also illustrates a growing debate over the role of religion in politics, as about 800 teachers, students and alumni of Calvin College signed a letter saying the president's policies do not reflect their religious values.

"Your deeds, Mr. President - neglecting the needy to coddle the rich, desecrating the environment and misleading the country into war - do not exemplify the faith we live by," said the letter published in an ad in The Grand Rapids (Mich.) Press.

"Moreover," the letter continued, "many of your supporters are using religion as a weapon to divide our nation and advance a narrow partisan agenda.

<snip>

http://www.sanluisobispo.com/mld/sanluisobispo/news/politics/11700326.htm

[NMDemDist2]

1. wow! just WOW! there is hope yet for my country n/t

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

2. I hope this gets picked up by other outlets...

[Demeter]

3. This Was In Grand Rapids??!!

Amway country! Wow! Of course, 7% unemployment in the state will do that to a town. College kids with big loans and no jobs get fractious. (Of course, a degree in something other than Christianity might be more marketable....)

[Wheezy]

5. Most Calvin people I know...

...despise Amway. And have degrees in a variety of things. Mine's in English. :D

[Journeyman]

6. Christian college doesn't necessarily mean your degree is in religion. . .

that would be a Divinity school. Christian colleges offer degrees in a variety of disciplines. My daughter is working on a degree in psychology at a Christian college.

[Wheezy]

4. YEAH!!!! My Alma Mater

Is finally showing it has balls.

This is huge stuff. Calvin is known as a conservative Christian college...BUT!!! One third of the faculty is protesting and the alum have over 800 signatures in an ad that ran today, protesting Bush's visit.

On my blog I'm tracking some stories. And I must admit, I've never been proud to be a Calvin Grad until now.


The most holy shite is hitting the fan of great boggletude over President Bush's commencement speech at my dear alma mater (never thought I'd call it that) and all I can do is giggle mirthfully. I mean, who knew Calvin folks realized they were sinners in the hand of an angry shrub?

*breaks into a 'Back in the late 80s when I was a student' story about there being no liberals within 60 miles of Calvin College*

So who's buzzing?

Washington Times, where I am chagrinned to discover they passed up Nicholas Wolterstorff as commencement speaker when Bush became available.

Daily Kos, where reportedly a religion prof who is required to attend graduation, will do so. But he is bringing a book. Yes, a little book called "My Pet Goat."

Michael Moore saw fit to post a Grand Rapids Press article.

some message board with Calvin grads or students, and an interesting mention of Fred's House of Pancakes which caught my eye.

The Detroit News quotes a professor or two. One third of Calvin's faculty has signed a letter of protest.

The Detroit Free Press mentions a few profs giving opposing views. Never did care for Randy Bytwerk. I always thought it was because his name sounds too computery. Or something.

And The Grand Rapids Press of course.

Actual links to these stories can be found on my blog, url is in my sig line below.

[Zhade]

7. This atheist applauds them.

NT!

[ausiedownunderground]

8. First Texans in Houston, then Christian's in Michigan.

Freedom and Democracy might just be starting to "Roll"!!!!
The "Rest of the World" salutes Calvin College!! Keep up the great work. We're going to get these "Fuckers"!!!!

[wakeme2008]

9. Sounds like a TURN YOUR BACK on Bush

protest should be done. :)

[TahitiNut]

10. I'd be willing to bet that if chairs are used, they'll be tied together.

The Reich's Propaganda Advance Men will make damned sure they do everything possible to keep it looking like the Fecal Fuhrer is adored.

[Dogmudgeon]

11. Calvin College?

They have an excellent on-line Holocaust library.

There's no mistaking it -- Calvin ain't Bob Jones or "Liberty" University. They actually have some Christians there who "walk the Christian Walk".

--p!

[DeDe]

30. Good People at Calvin

There are very good people at Calvin -- I know many of them personally. But in my opinion their current president is bringing them all down. They need a leader who also 'walks the Christian walk.'

[Ilsa]

12. Bush will never know why...

they are protesting him or that was an ad in the paper. He'll be protected from all of it and think they all voted for him and support his insane policies.

[Erika]

13. Yeah

Bush and reality are pretty much strangers to each other.
But Bush's legacy will show the reality.

We lost three troops in Iraq today? Check www.icasualties.org

[demo dutch]

29. He's being spoonfed everyday, and is too stupid to realize any

of it

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

14. SAT. CNN Reports protesters at school were "Protesting the war

in Iraq and NOT pResident Bush."

OMFG.

[hollowdweller]

15. Take Back America (and Jesus) from the right wing!

Way to go!

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

18. Yeah, but look at the way the televised "media" plays it. n/t

[LibDemAlways]

28. The whores at CNN must have

forgotten who started the war and who is profitting from it. Beyond ridiculous.

[Lisa]

16. hey -- Bush said he didn't want to impose on people's graduations ...

That was his excuse for not attending his daughters' convocation ceremonies. He claimed that the media attention and extra security would inconvenience students and parents.

But evidently he seems content with insinuating himself into other people's special occasions.

[DeDe]

17. Things That Make Folks go "Hmmm"

Calvin's President, Gaylen Byker, is an interesting fellow himself. He is the Director of InterOil Corp., an offshore company supposedly digging for oil in Papua New Guinea.
He contributed thousands of dollars to Bush's re-election campaign. This article about the "nefarious" characters at InterOil is really good.

http://www.stocklemon.com/articles/01_06_05.html

[splat@14]

19. Heard it, thought it was pretty quiet for a college audiance. Glad they

spoke up.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

20. They kept the protestors outside.

[richmwill]

21. Kudos to these Christians

See? We're not ALL mindless fundies. :)

[Mark E. Smith]

22. Bush Gets Mixed Reception At Christian College

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (Reuters) - President Bush on Saturday championed faith in American society, but ran into some criticism as he courted his Christian base in a commencement speech at a Michigan college.

(Bush's malarkey skipped ...)

But anti-Bush ads that ran in the local newspaper, protests outside the event and buttons worn on graduates robes made clear that many students and faculty objected to Bush's policies.

"We believe your administration has launched an unjust and unjustified war in Iraq," said a letter signed by about one-third of the college's 300 faculty members and published in Saturday's Grand Rapids Press.

"As Christians, we are called to be peacemakers and to initiate war only as a last resort," it said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050521/ts_nm/bush_religion_dc

Perhaps they should have held an executive exorcism ...

[Dr Ron]

23. More on LUTD

Light Up The Darkness blog has two posts on the protests against George Bush. They include information from local TV and newspaper coverage which is not available from on line newspapers.

Calvin Students Tell George Bush: God Is Not a Democrat or Republican at http://www.lightupthedarkness.org/blog/?view=plink&id=934 contains information on the protests and some background information.

Christians Protest Bush's Anti-Christian Policies at http://www.lightupthedarkness.org/blog/?view=plink&id=932 has the text of two different ads placed by students, faculty, and alumni.

[chiffon]

24. Some graduating students wore buttons that said

"God is not a Democrat or Republican"

In fact, she's really pissed.

:evilgrin:

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

25. dupe

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1488836

[Cha]

26. Asshole pushes his

Orwellianspeak on Calvin College.

Thank Goodness for those who can see the transparent hogwash of this washed out puppet on a stick.

[richmwill]

27. Kudos to these Christians

See? We're not ALL mindless fundies!